topic Re: Convert SAS date to text in New SAS User

Convert SAS date to text

pradark1 — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 19:54:33 GMT

Hi,

I want to use the macro variable DATE defined below

%LET DATE = '29NOV2018'D;

to create another macro variable that looks like this.

%LET DATETIME = '2018-11-29 00:00:00.0000000';

How can I achieve this?

Thanks!

Re: Convert SAS date to text

Kurt_Bremser — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 20:01:10 GMT

Since a date is a count of days, and a datetime a count of seconds, you only need to multiply with 86400 wherever you need the datetime, or use the dhms() function.

Note that your wanted value is useless except for display.

Re: Convert SAS date to text

Reeza — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 20:02:39 GMT

@pradark1 wrote:

Hi,

I want to use the macro variable DATE defined below

%LET DATE = '29NOV2018'D;

to create another macro variable that looks like this.

%LET DATETIME = '2018-11-29 00:00:00.0000000';

How can I achieve this?

Thanks!

Use DHMS function. Note the second parameter in SYSFUNC is the format. The default will be a datetime that's numeric, to have is shown as indicated you need to apply a format, in this case I've used datetime. Note that applying a display format makes it more difficult to use in the future because you need quotes and dt at the end, whereas the numerical variable will be interpreted correctly.

%let datetime = %sysfunc(dhms(&date., 0, 0, 0), datetime.);
%put &datetime.;

The

Re: Convert SAS date to text

pradark1 — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 20:06:27 GMT

Guys, I want the date to be displayed as a text string due to how it is used in my database. so being able to use the following format is important. I want the right hand side of the equation below to be another macro that converts to text like below.
%LET DATETIME = '2018-11-29 00:00:00.0000000';

Re: Convert SAS date to text

Kurt_Bremser — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 20:12:18 GMT

Your display format can be achieved with the e8601dt. format and filtering out the "T", or by rolling your own format with proc format.

Re: Convert SAS date to text

Kurt_Bremser — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 20:14:28 GMT

And please note that not everybody here is male. Using "guys" when addressing our most prolific solution provider is sexist at best.

Re: Convert SAS date to text

pradark1 — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 20:32:17 GMT

Here is a solution:

data _null_;
length datetime $ 30;
datetime = trim(put(&date,YYMMDD10.)) || " 00:00:00.0000000";
call symput("datetime",datetime);
run;

%put Datetime= &datetime.;